NASCAR Cup Series

Chase grid profile: Kyle Busch, No. 1

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:21 p.m. ET

Chase Wilhelm

(Editor's Note: Busch is the final driver in a series of profiles for each of the 16 Chase drivers, leading up to the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland.)

Driver: Kyle Busch

Seed: No. 1

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 18

Crew chief: Adam Stevens

Best finish: 1st, Martinsville, Texas, Kansas, Indianapolis

Age: 31

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.

Kyle Busch heads to Chicagoland Speedway ready to defending his 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Busch will start the Chase with 12 bonus points after winning four races in the regular season -- tying Brad Keselowski for the series-most wins.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also recorded 11 top fives, 16 top-10 finishes and two poles.

Busch looks poised to be one of the strongest threats for the title once again.

Five defining moments:

1. STP 500 at Martinsville -- Busch punched his ticket into the Chase with a win at Martinsville Speedway in April.

2. Duck Commander 500 at Texas -- A week after his Martinsville triumph, Busch raised up a pair of six-shooters in Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway.

3. Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond -- Busch came close to victory at Richmond International Raceway in April, but Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards bumped him out of the way coming to the checkered flag.

4. Go Bowling 400 at Kansas -- After years of bad luck at Kansas Speedway, Busch finally scored his first career victory at the 1.5-mile track in May.

5. Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis -- Busch scored his second consecutive Brickyard 400 win and became the first driver to sweep both the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series races from the pole in a single weekend.